‘Once Upon A Time’ Season 3, Episode 2 ‘Lost Girl’: TV Recap

You’re not alone if you wondered what exactly was that poppet that made Rumpelstiltskin cry on “Once Upon a Time” last week. Still no scenes in Storybrooke, though Rump has a vision of Belle that suggests things are OK there. To move into the future, Emma and Rumpelstiltskin must both let go of the past. In Fairy Tale past, Snow White had to do the same thing.

As we open, Rump conjures up a fire and summons the Shadow, telling him to take his sword away where no one can find it, not even him. That’s probably because, as we’ll learn when a vision of Belle comforts him later on, he’s afraid that he will be a coward like his father. The poppet, he tells the Belle vision (real Belle is still in Storybrooke), is the last thing his father gave him before leaving. Rump is worried that he’ll be a coward too, and accept Pan’s offer to trade Henry for his own life. Belle replies that he always regretted abandoning his son Baelfire, and he doesn’t need to do that to Henry. Rump throws the poppet over a cliff.

Hook and the Jolly Roger landing party trudge through the island. “You know, I could have just poofed us up here,” Regina says, still bringing the snark. And Snow asks Emma to call her Mom after she gives her some water, since she looks dehydrated. Emma replies that that was when she was about to die. But pay attention: the mommy issues matter more for Emma than she lets on. Hook attempts to stave off some of the “wait, isn’t Pan a good guy” thing from Emma, by saying that Pan was the most treacherous villain he ever faced. Anybody think the name “J.M. Barrie,” who, you know, invented Peter Pan in his 1902 novella “The White Bird,” will come up at any point? No? I get that Disney is behind all this, but changing things that are not anonymous requires nobody from the human realm ever to have heard of Barrie, currently enjoying a bit of a revival in New York theater (the Scottish author was a well-known playwright). This will get even more interesting when “Once” takes on Lewis Carroll in its spin-off this week. Hook wonders if he was handsome in the stories.

In Fairy Tale past, queen Regina, in medieval pushup attire, learns about the Snow’s awakening with Love’s First Kiss and immediately goes to terrorize the peasants, promising to kill one every day, unless Snow and Charming go into exile and lead their happy love-filled lives elsewhere. Snow considers it, but Charming’s not keen. The dwarves wonder why. “Look, handsome, she may love you, but that chisel chin ain’t fooling us. We’ve got our eyes on you,” Grumpy says, which is adorable. Charming seeks help from Rumpelstiltskin, who tells him that belief must come from within. Charming gallops back to Snow at archery practice, and tells her he’s learned of a magical weapon nearby, made by a famous mage named Merlin in a realm from Camelot. Wait, what? Is Fairy Tale in England now? There are Arthur tours in England. It’s a popular royal name. And isn’t Snow White, um, German? Regardless, they find the sword in the stone, Excalibur, and Charming can’t budge it. Snow can, because the legend says that the kingdom’s true ruler can move it. Which is a graceful workaround.

Emma has trouble sleeping, hearing the crying of children. Peter Pan appears, noticing that she can hear it too. Big heavy hint there! Pan gives her a blank map that she will be able to read when she remembers who she is, and leaves. She recites everything she can think of: her old profession of bail bondsman, her parental history, even, as Regina puts it, “the s-word,” the savior. Nada. Out of patience, Regina magicks it, and it glows, floating into the dangerous forest. They all follow. They find not Henry but Pan. The Lost Boys mass behind him and there’s a battle in Neverland! One of the dream-shade-laced arrows grazes Charming’s jacket. Emma has a knife to a boy’s throat, demanding to know where Henry is, but something in his face stops her.

And in Fairy Tale Past, Snow’s ready with Excalibur when the queen returns, and rushes at the purple smoke of Regina, even grazing her hand. “I’ll see you on the battlefield,” says the queen, and poufs away.

Snow tells Emma, studying the still-blank map, “Maybe who you think you are isn’t who you are,” and wonders what stopped her on the battlefield. The boy’s expression reminded Emma of how she felt when she was in the foster system, just a lost little girl who didn’t matter. On this island, she doesn’t feel like a hero or savior, but like an orphan, Emma says, tearing up. And the map appears on the parchment.

Snow summons Rump to a sun-filled clearing to pay off Charming’s debt. Rump denies making a deal, saying, “Everyone knows Excalibur is in Camelot.” He calmly makes her sword disintegrate, pointing out that he couldn’t do it if it really were Excalibur. It’s a Dumbo feather believe-in-yourself thing. Snow then takes Snow’s necklace, which belonged to her mother, as payment. Meanwhile the dwarves are making up with Charming when Snow stomps up, all mad that she was tricked, but quickly mollified at Charming’s faith, rewarding him with a smooch.

The map shows that Henry’s on the southern tip of the island. Hook takes a swig and offers Emma one, who takes it, after wondering if rum is his solution to everything. “Just who are you?’ he asks, wondering what made the map appear. and she answers, “Wouldn’t you like to know.” And perhaps he would. Again: Ship ahoy!

It’s not so easy to get rid of the past. The dropped poppet reappears. It won’t burn in a magic fire either—so Rump tucks it inside his jacket. And Emma’s a bit pensive too when Pan appears, saying, “You don’t mind if I call you a lost girl, do you?” and warning her that Henry will not forgive her. And Charming lied: he was wounded, and it looks bad.

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